2011 Peruvian Presidential Election Results

article from June 7, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

The fears of the neocons have come true. The election results in Peru show a convincing win for Ollanta Humala over Keiko Fujimori. It is not a landslide mind you, but when final results are made public, we will probably see a 3-4 percentage spread.

I have been reading some of the posts by expats in Peru, and most of them are very negative about Humala, always reminding the readers that he was a rebellious military leader who led a revolt against the constitutionally elected government. What they leave out is that that government was the corrupt and murderous administration of Alberto Fujimori, father of Keiko, and Ollanta Humala was subsequently pardoned for his act of trying to save Peru from the “Mano Dura” dictatorship that Fujimori imposed with the help of his corrupt spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos, who decided to get in bed with the CIA and the narcotraficantes in Peru. Here is a small part of the Wikipedia entry about him:

“Subsequent investigations revealed Montesinos to be at the centre of a vast web of illegal activities, including embezzlement, graft, gunrunning, and drug trafficking. He has been tried, convicted and sentenced for numerous charges. Montesinos had strong connections with the CIA, the United States international intelligence Agency, and was said to have received some $10 million from the agency for his government's anti-terrorist activities.”

His subsequent flight to Venezuela was enough for Alberto Fujimori to go to Japan and fax his resignation from there. You read that right; the head of state faxed his resignation in. He is resting comfortably in prison now, after having been sentenced to 25 years.

In this hard-fought election, it was a shame that the opposition was so fractured, so as to allow the final contest to come down to the two least qualified candidates, or as the Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa opined, the people of Peru were left with a choice between AIDS and terminal cancer. He campaigned heavily in the end for one of the two named diseases, Ollanta Humala, because of his intense dislike of anything to do with Fujimorismo, such as his daughter Keiko, who he called a “boutique Senator.” But in the final moment, Mario Vargas Llosa decided that he could not vote for either candidate because he apparently thought it was enough that he supported Keiko’s rival.

In typical kneejerk reaction, the Lima stock market opened on Monday with all the mining companies falling in value, along with the entire market as a whole. This was probably based on the “I told you so” mentality of the large corporations that have been exploiting Peru’s mineral wealth, paying minimal royalties and taxes, and a government that is more interested in its own enrichment, as opposed to letting some of the wealth of the country make its way to those who are extremely poor and living on US$1-2 per day – those hundreds of thousands who are malnourished and without access to adequate health care, education or clean water.

What direction Ollanta Humala will take his country in remains to be seen. If he follows in the footsteps of Lula da Silva from Brazil, it could mean more and better paying jobs for the indigent population, better rural medical care, an end to the privatization of water and cleaner water and a gradual rise in the standard of living of the really poor. All this will take time, but it must be recognized that by improving the lot of the poorest of the poor, stability and security will be delivered hand in hand. But the well-documented cases of deceitful fear-mongering from Fujimori supporters reminds me of the 2009 Uruguayan elections that brought Mujica to power, and the not so frightening outcome of that.

In the end, Peru did not get the president they deserved. He was not in the runoff, but they got what they voted for. And that ultimately is what a democracy is all about – people choosing their own leaders, overcoming fear or intimidation tactics. For that, I congratulate all the citizens of that great nation and hope that now, the divisions can be overcome and the country can work together to continue to achieve its well deserved destiny: a better distribution of wealth, without going to any one of the many failed Marxist ideologies.

Viva Peru y felicidades a todos Peruanos!

Jamie Douglas

San Rafael, Patagonia

Where the Malbec Wine is Always Fine!

[Image of Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala via Wikipedia]

I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.